Cupping

Coffee Holding S.A. - Coffees from Guatemala Cupping

Date: Friday, April 12, 2024
Time: 4:15pm - 6:00pm
Room Number: S405A
Access: Public

Cupping

Discovering México Through its Coffee by RWTC Powered by Cafeologia

Date: Friday, April 12, 2024
Time: 4:15pm - 6:00pm
Room Number: S405B
Access: Public

Cupping

Specialty Coffee from Thailand

Date: Friday, April 12, 2024
Time: 3:45am - 5:30pm
Room Number: S404D
Access: Public

Cupping

Daterra Coffee Menu and Experimental Coffees | Brazil

Date: Friday, April 12, 2024
Time: 3:45pm - 5:30pm
Room Number: S404BC
Access: Private

Cupping

Cafe Imports Featured Pre-Shipment Cupping (Private)

Date: Friday, April 12, 2024
Time: 2:00pm - 3:45pm
Room Number: S405A
Access: Private

Cupping

Café de Honduras: NextGen Coffee Gems

Date: Friday, April 12, 2024
Time: 2:00pm - 3:45pm
Room Number: S405B
Access: Public

Cupping

Artisan Coffee Imports: Rwanda + Ethiopia

Date: Friday, April 12, 2024
Time: 1:30pm - 3:00pm
Room Number: S404D
Access: Public

Cupping

Cima Café’s Relationship Coffees: Special Coffees from Honduras

Date: Friday, April 12, 2024
Time: 1:30pm - 3:15pm
Room Number: S404BC
Access: Public

Workshop Description

Join us for an engaging workshop with sustainability expert Bill Walters, where we unravel the myths and realities surrounding sustainable coffee packaging. In this informative session, we'll address key questions that concern coffee roasters:

• True/False: You can recycle flexible packaging in your curbside recycling bin.

  Discover the truth behind why most flexible packaging, like coffee bags, can't be easily recycled in typical curbside programs and how the sorting process impacts this.

• True/False: Post-Consumer Recycled (PCR) material is safe for food/coffee packaging.

  Explore considerations and standards for PCR content in coffee packaging while ensuring safety and regulatory compliance.

• True/False: If a package says it's compostable, it is.

  Dive into the complexities of certifications, testing standards, and the risks of false claims, providing insights into what truly makes a package compostable.

• True/False: There are practical ways to operate sustainably.

  Discover sustainable alternatives, and how the industry is evolving to embrace environmentally responsible options.

Join Bill Walters as he guides you through these critical topics, offering clarity and debunking common myths to empower you to make informed decisions for sustainable and responsible coffee packaging. Don't miss this opportunity to stay ahead in the world of eco-friendly packaging for your coffee products.

Date: Friday, April 12, 2024
Time: 1:30 p.m. - 4:30 p.m.
Room Number: S505B
Category: Sustainability, Business 

Instructor

Bill Walters (he/him)
Vice President, Engineering and Quality, TricorBraun Flex

BILL WALTERS is the VP of engineering and quality at TricorBraun Flex, where he leads the development of sustainable and environmentally responsible packaging solutions. Walters has spent over 35 years in the flexible packaging industry with a focus on the specialty coffee segment. His main areas of expertise are barrier packaging (materials, specifications and production environments), modified atmosphere packaging, degassing technology, and sustainable packaging initiatives.

Lecture Description

Coffee consumers care more about roast color than any other attribute when choosing a coffee to purchase, but there is tremendous confusion – including among roasters in the coffee industry – about what precisely a “dark roast,” “medium roast,” or “light roast” actually means. A “light roast” for one roaster might be darker than a “dark roast” for a different roaster. To address this challenge, the SCA would like to establish an index of roast colors with plain English names and relate this to a CIELAB (L*a*b*) uniform color scales to help bring consistency to the marketplace. This lecture will draw on preliminary results from a massive study at the UC Davis Coffee Center investigating the impact of roast profile inside a commercial drum roaster and connect this ongoing research with survey data to help inform the Specialty Coffee Association's project to develop a roast color standard in 2024.

Date: Friday, April 12, 2024
Time: 1:00pm - 2:00pm
Room Number: 426AB

Speakers

William Ristenpart (he/him)
Professor, University of California Davis

William Ristenpart is a Professor of Chemical Engineering and the founding director of the Coffee Center at the University of California Davis. He received his Ph.D. from Princeton University and did his postdoctoral research at Harvard University. In 2012, Prof. Ristenpart co-developed a general education class called “The Design of Coffee,” which became the most popular elective general education course on campus and is now taught at several universities around the world. His research expertise is in complex transport phenomena, with current research topics including nanoparticle electrokinetics, airborne disease transmission, and extraction dynamics of coffee.

Lecture Description

The future of coffee is at risk. Climate change, regulatory environment shifts, a lack of young farmers willing to take up the trade, farming communities struggling with intergenerational poverty - these complex challenges threaten the industry that we rely on, and each hinges on a fundamental issue that has been unaddressed for too long. In this panel, moderated by Fairtrade International’s Monika Firl, a representative from an industry leading coffee company and coffee farmers from Guatemala and Ethiopia will discuss the financial foundations of a sustainable coffee industry that addresses the needs of its foundational stakeholder: the farmer.

Regardless of what is happening on a highly speculative NY Commodities Market, coffee farmers have real and continually increasing costs, driven by demands for particular qualities, new legal requirements for export and certifications. The historical record shows that the vast majority of coffee farmers simply aren’t paid enough for their efforts and final product. Meanwhile, we all know that there is no future for the coffee industry if there is no business case for the coffee farmers. Coffee industry leaders will be challenged to consider: Are you investing in the future of coffee with the price you’re paying? 

Date: Friday, April 12, 2024
Time: 1:00 p.m. - 2:00 p.m.
Room Number: N426C

Speakers

Monika Firl (she/her)
Senior Advisor on Coffee, Fairtrade International

Monika has more than 25 years’ experience in coffee, including a decade living in Central America and Mexico, with projects ranging from founding and directing a community-focused, information center on alternative technologies in San Salvador, to coordinating regional Farmer-to-Farmer learning to promote sustainable production and alternative markets. She is the lead author / instigator of the Carbon, Climate and Coffee Initiative and the pilot field study applying the Cool Farm Tool in small-holder, regenerative coffee fields. This cumulative work has fueled her keen interest in the symbiotic role of healthy soils, carbon sequestration and our potential for reversing climate change.

Baltazar Miguel (he/him)
Manager, Farmer, Producer

Since 2023, General Manager of the ASOBAGRI coffee cooperative in Guatemala, president of Comercio Justo Guatemala and Vice President of the Council of Directors of CLAC. He is an economist by profession, passionate about the development of small producers in Latin America and the Caribbean, looking for how to add value

Erkehun Woldegiorgis Hirbaye (he/him)
Producer, Yirgacheffe Coffee Farmers Cooperative Union/YCFCU

Mr Erkehun Hirbaye is a general manager for Yirgacheffe coffee farmers cooperative union in Ethiopia. The union has over 45 thousands member farmers who are small holder farmer. of He has extensive experience working with coffee grower farmers and international coffee export business with coffee importers and roaster all over the world. He has been working as a General manager over four year and have good knowledge in coffee supply chain from producers to the importers and roasters globally.

Camilo Sanchez
Coffee Sustainability Manager, OFI

Camilo Sanchez is a sustainability development professional with experience leading multi-million dollar projects for the private sector, NGOs, and UN systems. His more than twenty years of experience have given him the ability to design and implement far-reaching and profitable sustainability strategies and foster high-level partnerships. He currently works as a sustainability manager for the coffee business at ofi.

Lecture Description

Roasters are increasingly engaged in their supply chains, driven by consumer demand for ethical products and supplier transparency. As they become more involved in trade, roasters must understand new complexities in operations, logistics, and financing.

This lecture will provide attendants with a comprehensive overview of sourcing operations, from exporting to delivery. We will discuss different supply chain configurations and producer payment structures, digging deeper into shipping, importing requirements, and warehousing services with a cost breakdown from freight to storage.

Participants will gain the necessary information to manage direct supply chains with producer engagement and to support origin partners in establishing pathways to the international market. Worksheets and shipping calendars will be provided.

Date: Friday, April 12, 2024
Time: 1:00pm - 2:00pm
Room Number: S403AB

Speakers

Raphael Studer (he/him)
CEO, Algrano

Raphael joined the specialty coffee industry to use technology to change coffee producers' fate. As a trained Economist with a PhD in statistics, Raphael is frustrated to observe how information asymmetry in coffee trading harms coffee growers' development. 2015 Raphael co-founded Algrano.com, the world's first and largest green bean marketplace connecting roasters and growers online. Algrano serves hundreds of coffee roasters in over 30 countries. As the CEO, Raphael loves to connect the dots and spread Algrano's mission: currently he is closely following the expansion of the marketplace to the US roasting market.

Marcus Young (he/him/they/them)
Executive Vice President of Coffee, goodboybob coffee roasters

Marcus Young brings over twenty years experience in coffee. Currently he leads the coffee program at goodboybob coffee roasters as an Executive Vice President of Coffee. Previously he led the market team for Cropster, a software company providing quality, inventory, and traceability solutions for coffee producers, roasters, and retailers. He is an authorized trainer for the Specialty Coffee Association and holds their Coffee Skills Diploma with a focus on sustainability, roaster, sensory analysis, and barista skills. He is a certified Coffee Quality Institute Q-Grader. He has trained thousands of coffee roasters and tasters during his career, and works as a quality advisor on behalf of several award winning coffee producers. Previously he worked as a quality advisor, professional educator, trader, buyer, roaster, and barista. He helped to build a successful roasting business in Rwanda and worked on behalf of farmers and cooperatives on quality control and market access initiatives. Marcus co-founded Central City Coffee, a social enterprise coffee company providing employment and on-the-job training for employees who were previously homeless.

Lecture Description

In almost 20 years, ABIC in Brazil promote regulation for industry to improve coffee quality for consumers. In recent research with consumers and technology coffee variets to quality on cup, ABIC renew the Certification Program to Roasted Coffee altrough Brazilian Protocol for Sensory Evaluation of Roasted Coffee and how technical language has been conected with consumers language, defined coffee styles according descriptors of brewers coffee.

Date: Friday, April 12, 2024
Time: 1:00pm - 2:00pm
Room Number: S401ABC

Instructors

Camila Arcanjo

Camila Arcanjo is a Brazilian sensory scientist, in more than 20 years works with coffee research and coffee quality.

Received her MSc in Food Science studying how flavors evoked emotions in coffee consumption. She was a researcher in Physics Institute at the University of São Paulo and Instituto Agronômico de Campinas and currently collaborating researcher at the University of Campinas, Brazil.

She is ABIC consultant for quality and certification, and owner of Sensory Laboratory Co.F.Fe.C.C.I.Na in partner with Sindicafesp.

Lecture Description

For the past four years, the Specialty Coffee Association has undertaken a project to develop a more rigorous way to define and measure specialty coffee quality, based on sensory science, economics, and feedback from the coffee community. Last year, some of the learnings from this project were integrated into the scoring scales, scoresheet layouts, and evaluation categories of three competitions. Meanwhile, the World Coffee Championships Competition Strategic Committee (CSC) and staff have been working to make WCC systems more transparent by publishing more documentation around things like Judge competencies, selection processes, and more—including how the SCA's Coffee Value Assessment was being integrated into the WCC portfolio. This lecture brings both of these initiatives together, by answering some of the very basic questions often asked by the community around the WCCs—How do you become a world judge? What goes on in the judges room? Who writes the rules? What's the CSC?—along with a review of the 2023 and 2024 rules and regulations changes for the World Barista Championship, the World Brewers Cup, and the World Coffee Roasting Championship.

Date: Friday, April 12, 2024
Time: 1:00 p.m. - 2:00 p.m.
Room Number: S401D

Instructor

Jenn Rugolo (she/her)
Curatorial Director and Editor, 25, Specialty Coffee Association

Jenn Rugolo is the Curatorial Director for the Specialty Coffee Association, where she leads the development of content in different mediums for some of the association's broadest projects, including its biannual publication (25) and Re:co Symposium, and builds connections between emerging knowledge and existing SCA programs. Perpetually curious about how people create culture and belonging through different activities, Jenn holds a Bachelors of Music Ad Hoc (Northwestern University) and a Masters of Arts in Ethnomusicology (University College Cork). Before taking on her current role, Jenn worked to design and run casual educational platforms across roles at 3FE, World Coffee Events, Facebook, and Tamper Tantrum. Concurrently a partner in Playset Coffee, Jenn spends her “free time” supporting progress in specialty coffee through projects that embrace collaborative learning and sharing.

Lecture Description

Here we provide an overview of recent studies on hot and cold brew coffee performed by the UC Davis Coffee Center. Particular emphasis is placed on the differences in sensory properties of cold brew versus hot brew, when served at the same temperature.  We also discuss in detail how the sensory properties of cold brew and hot brew develop versus brew time.

Date: Friday, April 12, 2024
Time: 11:30am - 12:30pm
Room Number: 426AB

Speakers

Dr. Jean-Xavier Guinard (he/him)
Professor, University of California, Davis

Jean-Xavier Guinard is Professor of Sensory Science and Co-Director of the Coffee Center at the University of California, Davis. Trained as a food and agricultural engineer in France, he earned MS degrees in sensory physiology and in food science/enology and a PhD in microbiology from UC Davis. His research focuses on sensory strategies for dietary change and the optimization of the sensory quality and consumer acceptance of foods and beverages, including coffee. He was an architect of the Coffee Taster’s Flavor Wheel and is the creator of Coffee Cuality™ - a new method for the assessment of coffee sensory quality by experts.

Lecture Description

During this lecture, we will discuss the three primary "buckets" of building sales:

1) increasing first time trial

2) increasing purchase frequency

3) increasing average ticket value

We will then discuss tactics and strategies, both paid and free, for each bucket that will improve a cafe's sales. Shop owners and managers will take away best practices to bring back to their operation to tangibly increase their weekly and monthly sales volume.

Date: Friday, April 12, 2024
Time: 11:30am - 12:30pm
Room Number: S401D

Instructor

Blaine Duhe
Executive Director, White Rhino Coffee

Blaine Duhe has twenty years of experience in the food and beverage industry, with roles spanning across shop operations, financial management, human resources, new store opening, and business leadership.  He now serves as the Executive Director of White Rhino Coffee, a growing specialty coffee company in the Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex.  Since joining White Rhino in 2019, Blaine has overseen the company's expansion from two to 15 outlets, including the addition of a coffee roastery for wholesale and e-commerce operations, as well as a licensing program. His strategic guidance has propelled White Rhino's annual sales from $1.25 million to a projected $10 million+ in 2024.

Lecture Description

Despite the growing interest in sustainable practices, many organizations in the agro-food industry are currently struggling to implement sustainable supply chain innovations. This session will address this gap by presenting the perspective of sustainability inside the Brazilian coffee industry, which is considered not only an important commodity for the Brazilian economy, but also for the global market. Based on scientific methods and results (bibliometric assessment of the literature and survey conducted with different Brazilian coffee stakeholders), this session will provide insights about the possible drivers and barriers faced in the sector when it comes to sustainability implementation – reducing the blind spots of decision-makers to prioritize actions, understand better how to overcome the barriers and take advantage of the drivers towards a more sustainable supply chain in the industry. This session will also bring a practical example of how sustainability can be applied in coffee farming – showing a project focusing in gender equity inside the chain and a new sustainability protocol that is being applied inside the biggest coffee cooperative in Brazil. 

Date: Friday, April 12, 2024
Time: 11:30am - 12:30pm
Room Number: S401ABC

Instructor

Yana Guimaraes (she/her)
Trader, SMC Specialty Coffees

Yana Guimaraes currently works in Brazil as a coffee trader in SMC Specialty Coffees, being responsible for planning and performing sales, engaging sustainability and ESG initiatives in both international and local negotiations. Her experience as an ESG Analyst at Cooxupé – largest coffee cooperative worldwide – has earned her quite deep knowledge about sustainability by acting on the promotion of the Company's strategic vision on the economic, environmental, and social pillars, making its sustainable programs feasible.

Yana also published her scientific research on sustainability in the coffee supply chain in an international journal and participated as a speaker at the International Coffee Week in Belo Horizonte (BR), discussing about sustainability practices in the Brazilian coffee supply chain.

Lecture Description

Have you ever seen a business you admire in the news and wondered how they earned that coverage? Do you want to learn about developing relationships with local and trade media to help boost your company's (or your personal) brand without paying a cent? Then this lecture is for you! Reena Arora-Sánchez is an award-winning journalist-turned-communications executive who has successfully collaborated with media for nearly 20 years to get brands (including Millersburg Coffee Company) positive news coverage. She'll share attainable no-cost strategies for engaging with reporters, pitching story ideas, securing coverage, and establishing yourself as a credible subject matter expert – all with the intention of building your brand and your business!

Date: Friday, April 12, 2024
Time: 11:30am - 12:30pm
Room Number: S403AB

Instructor

Reena Arora-Sánchez (she/her)
Global Communications Strategist, Arora-Sánchez International

Reena Arora-Sánchez is a writer and trusted communications leader with a history of success in a number of industries worldwide. She started her career as a journalist in 2005 and today uses her strategic communications savvy to advise global organizations on winning share of voice, connecting with target audiences and successfully navigating timely topics. Reena has a Master of Fine Arts in Creative Writing and a Master of Arts in Organizational & Strategic Communication from Queens University of Charlotte, as well as a bachelor’s degree in broadcast journalism from the S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications at Syracuse University.

Lecture Description

When a smallholder coffee farmer in East Africa harvests only 25 to 50 trees, it can take up to 100 farmers to produce enough coffee for 40 bags. At this scale, the conversation about a living wage and economic sustainability looks very different from other coffee-producing countries operating at much larger scales. JNP Coffee is participating in a study that examines how to measure the cost of production at this granular level and the role that private entities can play to ensure economic, social and environmental sustainability in Burundi coffee production. JNP Coffee founder and owner Jeanine-Niyonzima will address how such steps as youth education on coffee careers, farmer financial literacy training, and process changes for environmental remediation can help build capacity for ongoing sustainability in the Burundi coffee sector.

Date: Friday, April 12, 2024
Time: 11:30am - 12:30pm
Room Number: N426C

Instructor

Jeanine Niyonzima-Aroian (she/her)
Owner, JNP Coffee

Jeanine Niyonzima-Aroian, owner, and manager of JNP Coffee, advances the global specialty coffee industry and farmers in her native Burundi, East Africa, by producing, promoting, and trading the specialty coffee grown there. With an MBA from Northwestern University’s Kellogg School and a 20-plus-year international career, she entered the coffee industry in 2012.

A strong advocate for women coffee farmers in Burundi, Jeanine supports high-quality production through Dushime® premium incentives for high-scoring coffee, lessons in financial literacy, and leadership skills. Jeanine is committed to educating Burundi’s people for the economic empowerment of self-sustaining coffee communities. She was named to the Sprudge 20 in April 2023.

A current SCA board member, Jeanine is a Licensed Q Grader and certified Q. processor Level 1. She was previously SCA Northeast Regional Coordinator, Community Coordinator for the SCA U.S. Chapter, and host of frequent online Business Chats with a wide range of experts on the coffee industry.

Lecture Description

Living Income economic analysis has become an increasingly important tool to inform and guide strategies to close income gaps in the coffee sector. The International Coffee Organization’s Coffee Private Public Task Force (CPPTF) is working with national, regional and international stakeholders to use internationally recognized and comparable methodologies to measure income gaps and promote collective action to close those gaps. This panel will present examples of this public/private approach in East Africa and Mesoamerica.

International Coffee Organization (ICO): The ICO will discuss the systemic nature of the Public-Private approach and why it’s a necessary way to achieve sector transformation

• Sucafina: How does Sucafina use LI to meet its objective of strengthening producers' supply capacity and the benefits they receive from coffee, and what value does it bring to the company’s objectives

• InterAfrican Coffee Organization (IACO): How IACO uses LI analysis among its members to identify common challenges and solutions in their efforts to improve the income of famers and their economic resilience

• Starbucks - How Starbucks uses the LI analysis to strengthen their value chain and help the company’s efforts to improve farmers' incomeLecture Description

Miguel Zamora (he/him)
Managing Director, Rural Voices / ICO / Verite

Miguel has been involved in agriculture for 25 years. He has worked in farming, research, extension, business development, and international development with farmers, farmworkers and food companies. He has focused on fostering sustainable agricultural practices, building and strengthening sustainable supply chains while creating opportunities for sustainable trade between farming communities and the food industry.

With Rural Voices, Miguel is focusing on amplifying the voice of farming communities, so the perspective of farmers and farmworkers is included in the discussions and decisions of the sustainability initiatives led by food companies, governments, and civil society organizations.

Miguel supports the International Coffee Organization with the coordination of the Coffee Public-Private Task Force, and Verité on initiatives related to labor and human rights due diligence.

Vanúsia Nogueira (she/her)
Executive Director, International Coffee Organization (ICO)

Vanúsia Nogueira comes from a family of coffee producers, and started her career at PwC Consulting, where she was a partner and worked for 15 years. She started working directly with coffee in 2002, always focusing on niche markets. She served as executive director at BSCA from 2007 through April 2022 and took over as Executive Director at the International Coffee Organization in May 2022. Vanúsia holds a PhD in Administration/Marketing from Rosario National University in Argentina, a BS in Systems Engineering and Administration from Pontifical Catholic University of Rio de Janeiro (PUC-RJ) and MBAs and post-MBA focusing on Management, Marketing and Advanced Project Management from Fundação Getúlio Vargas in Rio de Janeiro.

Celestin M. Gatarayiha (he/him)
Director of Research, Inter-African Coffee Organisation

Celestin is a PhD holder in Agriculture in the Discipline of Plant Pathology, with more than 10 years of experience in the coffee industry, working with Governments, Donors, Private Sector and farmers. He has been coordinating the national coffee value chain as the Head of Coffee Division at the National Agricultural Export Board (NAEB) in Rwanda. Before joining NAEB, Celestin worked at the former Rwanda Institute of Agricultural sciences (ISAR) currently Rwanda Agriculture and Animal Resources Development Board (RAB), as Head of National Coffee Research Program. Currently, he is working with the Inter-African Coffee Organization (IACO) as the Director of Research and Development, and also the Coordinator of the African Coffee Research Network (ACRN).

Cupping

Cup with Uncommon Coffee Roasters

Date: Friday, April 12, 2024
Time: 10:45am - 12:30pm
Room Number: S405B
Access: Public

Cupping

Guatemalan Coffees Cupping Session

Date: Friday, April 12, 2024
Time: 10:45am - 12:30pm
Room Number: S405B
Access: Public

Cupping

IWCA Cupping Session

Date: Friday, April 12, 2024
Time: 10:15am - 12:00pm
Room Number: S404BC
Access: Public

Lecture Description

Since 1999, Keurig Dr Pepper (KDP) and Root Capital have strategically partnered to help agricultural enterprises scale and strengthen their operations and become engines of impact in their communities. We'll share a firsthand account of how a dual KDP/Root Capital client coffee cooperative in Peru has benefited from both parties.

We’ll highlight how this partnership came to be, the wins and learnings over the years, and how—most recently—this decades-long collaboration culminated in a celebrity ambassador campaign featuring Kevin Costner. We’ll also highlight the challenges of attempting to quantify the financial benefits of making social impact investments, as evidenced by studies that have been done.

Date: Friday, April 12, 2024
Time: 10:15am - 11:15am
Room Number: S401D

Speakers

Lindsey Bolger (Moderator)
Board Member, Root Capital

Chris Patterson (he/him)
Strategic Partnerships Manager, Root Capital

As Senior Manager for Strategic Partnerships at Root Capital, Chris leads strategies for building high impact partnerships and alliances among corporations, social enterprises, NGOs, as well as academic and research institutions that enhance and accelerate Root Capital’s impact. Prior to Root Capital, Chris held partnership and fundraising roles at Oxfam America and EcoLogic Development Fund. Chris holds an M.A. in International Development and Social Change from Clark University, and a B.A. in International Studies from Texas A&M University.

Allie Stauss
Senior Project Manager, Supply Chain Sustainability, Keurig Dr. Pepper

Allie Stauss is a senior project manager of supply chain sustainability at Keurig Dr Pepper (KDP). She oversees the tactical execution of KDP's supply chain sustainability strategy for coffee and supports strategy development for other categories including apple, corn, and cocoa to advance progress toward the company's commitments to responsible sourcing, nature, and livelihoods. Drawing on her roots at the intersection of coffee and sustainability, first at the development NGO TechnoServe and then at KDP, Allie builds partnerships that manage risk while also unlocking creative opportunities for long-term impact in the coffee sector.

Omar Garcia Mendoza
Gerente General, Cooperativa Alonso de Alvarado

Omar García is the leader of the Alonso de Alvarado Cooperative of young producers in the San Martín region in Peru. He is 26 years old and together with 383 young men and women producers develop regenerative agriculture, converting pastures and degraded land into productive farms, researching and producing coffee varieties of good quality, resistant to pests and diseases and adaptable to climate change, aims to generate a good quality of life for its members by producing healthy and environmentally friendly coffee, thus ensuring coffee land and coffee for the following generations.

Lecture Description

The Lease Coach presents this must attend session for both startup coffee shop entrepreneurs and existing tenants facing a lease renewal negotiation. Learn the 13 costly mistakes tenants make in the leasing process. Find out how to negotiate a lease renewal rent reduction. Negotiating for free rent, tenant allowance money, deposits and eliminating personal guaranty’s. How to manage the relationship with real estate agents and landlords. Session attendees will receive a complimentary copy of the book Negotiating Commercial Leases & Renewals FOR DUMMIES authored by the presenter Dale Willerton, The Lease Coach.

Date: Friday, April 12, 2024
Time: 10:15am - 11:15am
Room Number: S403AB

Instructor

Dale Willerton (he/him)
Professional Lease Consultant, The Lease Coach

Dale Willerton, The Lease Coach, has successfully negotiated and consulted on over 1500 leasing projects for commercial, retail, healthcare, foodservice and office tenants over almost 30 years. Dale works exclusively for tenants. Dale is a professional speaker frequently speaking at various Coffee Industry Events around the country. Willerton is also co-author of Negotiating Commercial Leases & Renewals For Dummies (Wiley, 2013).

Lecture Description

Purposefully buying green coffee is not like going to the supermarket for groceries. The coffee ecosystem is complex and diverse, with many actors along the value chain, and a multitude of risks and factors beyond your control. Competition is fierce, and differentiating yourself in the market is complicated, especially if you do not have a well-thought-out strategy and can connect that strategy to your company's purpose.

This lecture will focus on utilizing your company’s purpose and strategy to develop your green coffee buying program. We’ll discuss what makes a good strategy, what risks and uncertainties lie in the process, and the basics of coffee forecasting and inventory management. You will leave with a better understanding of how to plan your green coffee needs for the year (and years!) ahead and the tools available to make those decisions in a sustainable, confident way to attract customers and run a successful coffee business.

Date: Friday, April 12, 2024
Time: 10:15am - 11:15am
Room Number: S402AB

Instructor

Alejandro Cadena (he/him)
CEO, Caravela Coffee

Alejandro Cadena is co-founder and CEO of Caravela Coffee, a company that specializes in high-quality green coffee with over 20 years of experience.

An economist from the Universidad de Los Andes in Bogotá, he first worked as an investment banker in London and NYC. In 2001, he co-founded Caravela with the mission of generating greater value for the entire chain.

Under his leadership, Caravela has expanded around the world, vertically integrating a large part of the value chain with its own export operations in several countries in Latin America and sales and import operations in 4 continents. The company has more than 250 employees, 90% in its origin operations, sourcing coffee from around 3,000 farmers which is sold to more than 500 roasters in 35 countries.

Lecture Description

We will discuss what roasters have to do for FDA compliance, why you might go further and obtain a 3rd party food safety audit. We will also review what steps you need to take to pass a 3rd party audit - whether a basic GMP, HACCP, Costco, SQF or other audit.

Date: Friday, April 12, 2024
Time: 10:15am - 11:15am
Room Number: N426AB

Instructor

Mike Ebert (he/him)
Senior Consultant, FIredancer Coffee Consultants

MIKE EBERT is founder of Firedancer Coffee Consultants, dedicated to helping clients create a personalized strategy to ensure long-­‐term success. He works primarily with roasters, producers and retailers, drawing from his extensive experience in all facets of the specialty coffee supply chain to guide clients in reaching their potential. Ebert is an Authorized SCA Trainer (AST) for the Specialty Coffee Association (SCA); a certified Preventive Controls Qualified Individual (PCQI) and lead trainer for food safety; and co‐chairs curriculum for the SCA Educational Advisory Council, which develops new educational experiences for the specialty coffee community.

Lecture Description

What are the mindsets currently dominant in the perception of value creation and distribution across the specialty coffee system? Value is an elusive concept and specialty coffee is diverse, so to make coffee better (for all) through impactful collective and individual actions, high quality dialogue is critical. In this lecture, SCA Director of Sustainability Andrés Montenegro will share findings and insights from the 2023 Equitable Value Distribution Survey, which was designed to gauge industry perceptions on this topic. This lecture is recommended for anyone new to Expo and specialty coffee, and for those eager to learn more about sustainability in coffee.

Date: Friday, April 12, 2024
Time: 10:15am - 11:15am
Room Number: N426C

Instructor

Andrés Montenegro (he/him)
Sustainability Director, Specialty Coffee Association

Andrés Montenegro is the Sustainability Director at the Specialty Coffee Association. He is graduated as Agroindustrial Engineer and holds a M.Sc. in Process Design and Management with a major in food-bioprocesses. With over 15 years of experience navigating the coffee industry, he has focused his professional activity in the intersection between private companies, civil society, and governmental organizations for joint creation of innovations with shared purpose. As a coffee lover, and self-described coffee geek, he is passionate about findings ways to make coffee better, acknowledging the handprint & footprints to keep the coffee ritual thriving in tandem with society & environment.

Lecture Description

This panel will explore culture through coffee, highlighting various aspects of the cultural significance, social impact, and economic aspects of coffee across different regions. Panelists will discuss their experience as business owners, what community means to them, and how they use coffee to share their heritage and connect with individuals across the globe.

Panelists will explore the historical roots of coffee in their ancestral regions, discussing traditions and social practices, how coffee became an integral part of their daily lives and how they brought their unique experience to Chicago.

Panelists will examine the economic significance of coffee production, trade, and its impact on the livelihoods of farmers and local communities, discussing fair trade practices, sustainability, and the challenges faced by coffee-producing regions. They will also highlight how coffee is a medium for storytelling and cultural exchange, explore how coffeehouses, cafes, or events centered around coffee serve as spaces for collaboration and the exchange of ideas.

Panelists will share their coffee preparation methods, brewing techniques and specialties, and explore the fusion of traditional coffee recipes with modern trends and global influences. Panelists will close by discussing the potential for coffee to continue bridging cultural gaps and connecting communities across the globe.

Date: Friday, April 12, 2024
Time: 10:15 a.m. - 11:15 a.m.
Room Number: S401ABC

This panel will include 3 Chicago coffee shop owners, Jesse Íñiguez, Tuan Huynh, and Martha Itulya-Omollo, of various ethnic backgrounds, but all with the goal to build, foster, and enable human connection as a foundation for a sustainable planet and sustainable communities.

This panel is moderated by L Brew & Cecilia Cuff of the Nascent Group.

Panelists

Jesse Íñiguez
Owner and Director of Coffee Operations, Back of the Yards Coffee Co.

Jesse Íñiguez is the Owner and Director of Coffee Operations at Back of the Yards Coffee Co., a specialty coffee company located in Chicago's Back of the Yards community. Jesse was born in Back of the Yards and understands the importance of uplifting the neighborhood that raised him, informing his will to provide quality service, spaces and products to his community, without sacrificing the culture.

Tuan Huynh
Founder, VietFive Coffee

VietFive Coffee, located in Chicago’s West Loop, was founded by Tuan Huynh, an award-winning creative director and community organizer. VietFive is a Vietnamese coffee company that grows, harvests, imports, roasts, and serves Robusta beans from the founder’s family farm in Vietnam. VietFive also provides career opportunities to marginalized groups through industry networking, creative workshops, community centered events, and employment.

Martha Itulya-Omollo
Owner and Co-Founder, Kikwetu Kenya Coffee Company

Martha Itulya-Omollo is the Owner and Co-Founder of Kikwetu Kenya Coffee Company. Kikwetu is a family owned, Chicago-based, coffee company offering freshly roasted beans, coffee-infused beverages, world-class catering services, and specialty-grade Kenyan Coffee.

Lecture Description

As I have had a chance to connect with coffee shops and baristas, one challenge seems uniform, the need for de-escalation training. Baristas need the tools and unfortunately very little is available. Using information from deescalation courses provided to ETMs and Social Workers but applying them to the cafe setting. This lecture will be interactive.

Date: Friday, April 12, 2024
Time: 9:00am - 10:00am
Room Number: S403AB

Instructor

Laila Ghambari (she/her)
CEO, by Laila Ghambari

With nearly two decades of experience in food and beverage operations Laila Ghambari has an extensive knowledge spanning various roles. She runs her own coffee business consultancy, by Laila Ghambari, coaching coffee business owners and professionals to achieve their goals. She has been an influential figure in the specialty coffee industry, winning the 2014 USBC, and being an elected member of the Barista Guild Executive Council.